FAQ

1. I have comment headers for my routines, why can't IDLdoc seem to see them?

   There are a couple possible reasons. First make sure that comment headers start with ;+ and end with ;-. The comment header blocks can appear before or after the pro/function line of the routine, but they must be adjacent (i.e. no lines between). For example:

   ;+
   ; Comment header for my_routine.
   ;-
   pro my_routine
     ; comment ignored by IDLdoc
   end
   

   Or:

   pro my_other_routine
   ;+
   ; Comment header for my_other_routine.
   ;-
   
   end
   

   But not:

   ;+
   ; Comment header for my_routine. This header will not be seen by IDLdoc
   ; because there is a blank line below it.
   ;-
   
   pro my_routine
   end
   

2. I just use the standard header template (i.e. the format of template.pro in the examples directory of the IDL distribution or the default idlwave comment header). IDLdoc just puts all my comments in a big ugly section under the routine name in the output. Can IDLdoc parse my comments and put them in the appropriate places?

   Yes, use FORMAT_STYLE='IDL' in your call to IDLdoc.

3. After documenting my code with IDLdoc, IDL no longer sees changes in my code! Help!

   The documentation includes copies of your code by default. If it is in your !path, IDL may pick it up instead of your real code. There are several ways to fix this:

   1. Use the SOURCE_LINK keyword to IDLdoc. Set it to 1 (for a relative link, i.e. you can move the docs and code as long as they stay in the same relative position) or 2 (for an absolute link, i.e. you can move the documentation around, but not the code).
   2. Change your !path to not include the documentation.